Chapter 142

With Ayako Sakura as witness, Kazuma Hatake received a significant increase in his control over the Pansei Cult after the [Cult Leader] relinquished power.

At least when you open the Panxingjiao management interface again, it will no longer show that there are no selectable management directions.

Current Position: Holy Son of the Panxing Sect.

Current dominance: 51%.

[Currently available business areas: trade, technology, tourism, agriculture, and religion.]

Since this time the group is a religious organization, an additional religious category has been added.

Looking at the description, it generally includes selling amulets, ema (votive plaques), and shinji (divine prayer slips), renting out real estate owned by the Pansei-kyō (Pansei Church), and charging believers for accommodation in religious buildings. It is basically a non-profit business.

Is it because religious corporations are exempt from taxation on these incomes...?

After a moment's thought, Yutori Kazuma closed the window.

He doesn't yet understand the current operating status of the Panxing Sect, so he can't just blindly make a choice.

The call with the "Cult Leader" had ended. Ayako carefully put away her phone and looked at Kazuma Hatake with anticipation in her eyes.

The Holy Son of the Panxing Sect thereafter was no longer the same person who was only slightly stronger than a mascot—he became the number one person under the sect leader.

Having successfully chosen sides early on, she naturally began to enjoy the rights that the other party had promised her.

But Kazuma Hagoromo merely looked at her calmly, his dark eyes showing no excitement or joy, as if he didn't care about these worldly statuses at all.

Sakami Ayako paused for a moment, then reflexively lowered her head.

The black-haired boy was far more composed than she was; no wonder he was able to successfully infiltrate the world of sorcery until the very last moment without being discovered…

Ayako Sakura thought to herself, feeling a little ashamed of her earlier impatience.

"The result was better than I expected."

At that moment, Ayako Sakura heard Kazuma Hatori speak, and a heavy pressure came from his gaze, making it impossible for her to muster any will to resist.

Strange, she had previously thought the other person was just an overly precocious boy, with no other particularly remarkable qualities... Why is it that now, when the other person speaks again, she feels that every word of the Holy Son is so majestic and solemn, worthy of her to do her best to fulfill?

But Ayako Sakura didn't have time to think much; an irresistible urge rose within her, compelling her to memorize every single word of Kazuma Hatori.

"Is being a branch director of the [House of Star Children] enough for you?"

Ayako Sakami: "Is... eh?"

She looked up blankly.

I thought Hajime was really going to keep his promise, but I didn't expect him to say something like that.

"I will be too busy to manage all the chapters at that time, and it will be impossible for me to contact everyone."

In Ayako Sakami's opinion, if Kazuma Hatori wanted to maintain the transcendent divinity of his "Saint Child" status, he couldn't possibly do everything himself.

For example, someone like the "Cult Master" only needs to issue commands through shikigami or communication devices, and there will naturally be agents in the outside world to carry out the plan on his behalf.

Now that Kazuma Hatake is the "Holy Son" who holds real power, although he doesn't completely disappear, he certainly can no longer act as he did before.

"That's true..."

Ayako Sakami thought about it more and more and it made more sense, completely unaware that Kazuma Hatori was simply too lazy to deal with those trivial matters.

Just like how Kamo Chokichi was sought out before and Kamo Nokichi after a week, Kazuma Hatori also needed to find a capable assistant for himself through the Panxing Sect.

When he browsed through the list of Panxing Cult members he knew in the game, he found that both the loyalty rating in the Panxing Cult's management interface and his personal favorability rating were the highest for this person, Ayako Sakura.

Try her out first, and if she doesn't work, try another one.

"Do you want to become the Holy Son's spokesperson to the outside world?"

Kazuma Hatake spoke slowly and deliberately.

With the authority to command all the branches, every word he uttered was incredibly seductive.

"I... I can?"

Ayako Sakami's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Kazuma Hatori, who nodded gently, giving her another affirmative response.

"If you're not willing, I'll go find Sonoda Shigeru."

"I'd love to!"

Sakeki Ayako suddenly stood up, as if afraid he would change his mind, and immediately bowed deeply to Hatori Kazuma at a ninety-degree angle.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will certainly live up to your expectations!"

As expected of the increased dominance, the effect is more pronounced for Panxing Cult members with higher loyalty.

Yuqu Kazuma flipped through the list of Panxing Sect members again and felt that there should be more than that number of people.

He probably hasn't met him yet.

"Yes, I've always had high hopes for you. Although the Patriarch asked me to ask Kong Shiyu for help, I think you're just as capable of handling this task."

A casual compliment from Kazuma Hatori secretly pleased Ayako Sakami.

"What do you need me to do now?" she asked eagerly.

"First, call the presidents, directors, or legal representatives of each branch... well, basically all the key personnel here."

Kazuma Hatori thought for a moment, "Are there rooms big enough for them?"

"Yes. The chapel was not damaged; there's enough room for hundreds of people."

After Ayako nodded and said she needed a few days to make arrangements, she asked another question, still puzzled.

Why were they called here?

This time, Kazuma Hagoromo did not answer her.

…………

Several days later, at the chapel.

Although it was called a "hall", it was built to be extremely spacious, with a raised wooden platform erected in front and a huge Panxing Sect flag hanging on the wall behind it.

The excessively bright incandescent light poured down from above, even making Kazuma Hatori feel a little dazzled.

As per his request, the people invited by Ayako Sakura were all key leaders of various branches, mostly around forty years old. Their expressions as they looked at the podium varied, each with their own ulterior motives.

Yuqu Kazuma has held the title of "Holy Son of the Panxing Cult" since the beginning of the second playthrough, but he has never truly acted as the Holy Son, and the cult leader has never given him real power.

Therefore, these middle-aged people, who were all quite respectable in terms of social status, were skeptical at first when they received Ayako Sakami's notification.

If Ayako Sakura hadn't been a respected elder in the Panxing Cult and hadn't worked for many years alongside Director Sonoda of the [House of the Star Child], they wouldn't have been able to truly set aside other matters to come here.

Even so, in the eyes of these people, the black-haired boy standing on the podium was nothing more than a childish brat.

It's at most a mascot that can wave.

"How could our leader possibly allow this young upstart to become our leader?"

"I heard that it was he who successfully prevented Lord Tengen from being assimilated..."

"That makes sense."

"But he's still too young, isn't he an adult?"

"Ridiculous, someone must be helping him."

"Isn't he the guy who went to the concert last year?"

There was a rustling sound from below, and Kazuma Hatori, who was being judged, vaguely heard a few words, but his expression remained calm and composed as he lightly tapped the microphone with his finger.

The noise that traveled through the entire chapel in an instant was enough to silence everyone.

Then, Kazuma Hatake spoke up to announce it.

“In accordance with the oral instructions of the founder, from today onwards,” he said, “the Panxing Sect will be under the full management of Yuqu Yizhen.”

Before he could finish speaking, someone immediately slammed their fist on the table in protest.

As instructed by Kazuma Hatori, Ayako Sakami arranged for several tables and chairs to be set up in the chapel so that the leaders could sit around a table according to their respective branches.

“I object,”

The man spoke with a strong and clear voice, raising his voice enough for everyone present to hear.

"It's not that we don't trust the Sect Leader's arrangements, but your age and experience are still insufficient. It's worrying that you're given full authority over the entire Panxing Sect right away. Why don't you spend a few years getting to know yourself and taking some management courses?"

His words were very clever; he neither directly opposed the patriarch's arrangement nor embarrassed Kazuma Hatori. Instead, he planned to delay for a few years and persuade him to complete a few years of coursework before taking on the position—a reasonable and irrefutable argument.

Even with 51% control, it's not enough to get everyone to support him unconditionally.

...Never mind, I never thought I could save this expense anyway.

Kazuma Hatori slightly raised one eyebrow.

At this moment, his playful expression was almost identical to that of Gojo Satoru when facing overconfident enemies, as if he had unconsciously picked up some kind of habit.

Immediately afterwards, he brought the microphone back to his mouth.

"Let's start drinking."

—The command was amplified by the sound system and instantly spread throughout the entire chapel, even producing some overlapping echoes.

The people sitting below the stage all looked puzzled.

"……drink?"

At that moment, a soft, clear, and ethereal tapping sound suddenly came from somewhere.

It sounded like a bamboo deer startler striking a stone.

The group looked at each other, puzzled as to where this traditional Japanese garden came from.

But the next second, several white-robed followers filed in through a side door, each carrying a teapot in one hand and a teacup in the other. They filled the teacup with boiling hot tea and gently placed it on each person's table.

?

The question mark still lingered in everyone's minds, yet their bodies had already automatically raised the cup of hot tea to their lips and taken a large gulp...

"It's so hot! It's burning me!!"

"It's so bitter! What kind of inferior tea is this!"

"Pah! Pah! Pah! You didn't even skim off the tea foam? Who brewed this tea? Zero points!"

A chorus of complaints erupted in the chapel, even louder than the reactions of the Kamo family members who ate swill in the first playthrough.

Kazuma Hatake remained unmoved, only glancing at the interface.

Tea tasting: the best choice for entertaining distinguished guests. Presenting guests with an elegant tea ceremony is a spiritual fusion of tea and Zen, and of guests and hosts. In any case, it is the best way to enhance personal temperament and social etiquette.

You can choose:

—> 1 gold/person: A poor-quality bitter tea, the result of hastily brewing broken tea leaves with hot water; it tastes slightly better than dishwater. Probably.

—> 10 gold/person: Ordinary light tea, instant matcha that most people can't taste the difference from, perhaps with a slight aftertaste.

—>100 Gold Per Person: Exquisite strong tea, made with matcha by a master tea master. Each skillfully ground natural tea leaf will make the tea drinker feel as if they are personally appreciating flowers and the moon, captivating them without even realizing it.

Kazuma Hagoromo, who possesses the virtue of thrift, chose 1 gold per person without hesitation.

This is why everyone is complaining so much right now.

They are all high-ranking officials, when have they ever drunk such terrible tea?!

Not only were the tea leaves not properly ground, but the tea ceremony procedures that should have been strictly followed were also completely absent!

Is this kid deliberately making things difficult for them?

Damn it!

The tea tasting session ended when someone put down their teacup, got up in anger, and was about to leave.

[After the tea tasting, your personal demeanor and social etiquette have improved!]

Kazuma Hagoromo was intimately familiar with this process, and with a thought, the tea tasting would begin anew.

"Don't rush off, let's start drinking."

clang--

Another ethereal echo of water gently tapping on a stone.

So, the person who was about to leave reflexively sat back down and, along with everyone else present, picked up the cup of hot, thick tea that had been refilled.

"Hot! Hot! Hot!!"

"Ptooey! Ptooey!!"

Even being forced to drink a sip can scald everyone so much that they almost fly off their feet.

What kind of bizarre tactic is this? Why would they willingly drink such inferior, scalding hot tea?

Immediately, someone put down their teacup, intending to stand up and question them—

"Let's start drinking."

Another echo of a startled deer striking its shell.

Another sound.

Another sound.

...

After countless rounds, people who would feel a bitter taste rising from their throats even from a burp, and people who desperately needed to relieve themselves, stared at the steaming cup of dishwater in front of them, which had been refilled, and gradually their eyes showed fear.

No, please don't come again!